Monday, August 18, 2008

Farmer's Market Blues

I belong to the area's "Go Green" Farmer's Market. Originally "Aitkin Farmer's Market" it is 4 years running. At the 2008 planning stages of our market in March we ended up with 14 vendors signed on and things looked promising. We opened it up to crafters. Last year's market was poor and we really wondered how this year would pan out. We thought we had a chance to really make it work.

The first few markets had a good show of vendors. Since then it has primarily been me and Kris. We are so saddened and frustrated. Besides only us two vendors, we are not getting the support from local customers and buyers. We think there are a couple factors; a local CSA and large garden/produce farm in Aitkin, too many local personal gardens...? Who knows...

So that brings me to this dilemma. I will have extra produce. Actually quite a bit of produce. I planted enough cabbage, kale, Kolarabi, zuchinni to feed an army. I am selling some to the Brainerd Crow Wing Coop where I have a wholesale account for my product. A good friend is helping by telling her co-workers about my produce and I delivered a bit today on my way to Brainerd.
So I will be sending out emails every weekend to let friends, acquaintance know what I've got available for that week. Drop-offs will be either Monday, Tues, Wed. depending on where you live. You may come out to the farm and pick up your produce. This must be arranged a head of time.

All of my produce is from seeds I started myself and are heirloom or organic. Everything is natural and pesticide free. It is freshly picked and will be amazingly tasty and healthy.
That's my speal...please call or email me if you are interested and....if you'd like a market basket...here is an offer that is a great idea suggested by my friend Christine. Each week you can purchase a market basket full of fresh vegetables and herbs that are available that week. For a family of (2) the basket is $16, and for a family of (4) the basket is $28.

BTW...I still have 6#'s of yellow beans available that I picked yesterday.
$2 a pound.

Thanks! Don't miss out on a chance at home grown and healthy produce!

Terri

Sunday, August 3, 2008

Lughnassadh

August 1st: Irish Gaelic for "festival of Lugh". LOO-nah-sah. Like the other fire festivals, this one too was once celebrated with great bonfires. People gatherd on the sacred hills, and visited the sacred wells. This is time in which connecting with one's personal gods/goddesses is important. Some have mistakenly thought that Lughnassadh was a festival that celebrated Lugh, but in reality it was a funeral festival held for his foster-mother Tailltiu (pronounced Telsha), who had died under the strain of clearing the plain in Ireland that bears her name. The legendary Telltown Races wer held on this plain up until the early modern period. In the spirit of Tailltius' sacrifice fo her life, modern Celtic Pagans will take the time to remember that which has been sacrifices for them. This can be a personal sacrifice that was made for you, or a commulal sacrifice such as the Rainforests, or simply that which has sacrifieced in Nature due to man's greed. Like Bealtinne, Lughnassadh is also a traditional time for hand fasts, engagements, marriages and disseverments of previous relationships.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Make Hay When The Sun Shines!

Our newly planted Italian Rye field is a pain in the ARS!! This stuff is waxy and with this humidity it is not drying well at all. We re-raked the first section today and tomorrow the other section will need to be re-raked. Winchester has been raking while me and Remington have been running back and forth with food and water and checking on the moisture content. We borrowed the Venne's thing-a-ma-giggy that tests moisture for crops and hay. Way coooool! This is really been invaluable for this rye.
Jeff is out baling the first section right now. There is a nice breeze this afternoon, so I hope this has speeded things up a bit in the drying.
Winchester is going white water rafting up near Duluth with the Scout Venture crew tomorrow. Rem and me planned on going but we just can't with the rye needing to be re-raked. Such is life on the farm. Sigh...ya gotta make hay when the sun shines!
OMG are we covered from head to toe with peat. The ground that the rye is planted on is peat. It is itchy and permeates to every nook and cranny on your body. I'm sure this is another reason why this rye isn't drying well. The moisture that peat holds is amazing. Well of course we know that...that's why I add peat to my dirt for starting seedlings. DUH!!!
Ok off to fix something for supper. Then I've got to get out into the garden to weed tonight for a bit. It's getting away from me again.
But that's subject is for another post.
Summer Blessings,
T

Thursday, July 17, 2008

Sultry Summer Day Musings

Ohhhhh what a wonderful day of wild crafting. Christine and her kids came over today and what fun! We found self-heal which was like finding treasure in a treasure hunt. We picked lots of nettle, yarrow and some red clover. We found some mullien too. I have the mullien flowers and the flower heads infusing in Sweet Almond Oil. Tomorrow I'll go back and pick leaves so I can dry them. I'm so glad Christine knew about the leaves. I have only used the flowers for earache oil. Maggie has been reading up on herbs and is a wealth of information even at her young age. I can't say it again...what fun! It was very sultry and hot today. It rained for just a short bit early evening, not like the thunderstorm I thought we would get.
Me and Jeff went down to the rice paddies and moved the rakes to the next field I will be raking tomorrow. I won't be going to the farmer's market obviously. But gotta make hay when the sun shines.
Found another tick on me. Ick! That's two today. We are spoiled around here with no ticks. The chickens really take care of all the bugs in the yards.
Bright Summer Blessings

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Summer Solstice Musings

Last weekend was Summer Solstice. Me and my family hosted a gathering here on the farm on Sunday for friends of Gaias Wheel. What a wonderful evening! I am so thankful for this group of friends and their families to get together with and celebrate the Wheel of the Year. Potluck, bonfire, pony rides, Faerie house making, egg collecting, etc. etc., made for a glorious time. Here is our website:
www.gaiaswheel.com

Ok the garden is growing. Finally. We have had the sprinkler going for three days now and with the help of some really warm weather it seems to being doing the trick. My boys did some weeding tonight while I was at the SCA business meeting in Deerwood. I have been able to pick a few radishes the last couple days and actually might have some lettuces the next day or so.

Yesterday and today I picked wild rose petals and made Rose Elixar. WHAT FUN!! I can hardly wait to bottle this up and find some guinea pigs...er I mean clients who want to try it.
I have been bottling chive blossom vinegars in decorative bottles. I've made flower essences of; violet and sweet woodruff. The most coveted of all; Summer Solstice Moon & Sun Essence. Tomorrow I will make wild rose petal and borage flower essences as well.
Here is my website for herbal products:
www.cedarhavencreations.com

The Farmer's Market in Aitkin has been slow business. But the worse of it is the wind! I have had one pop-up destroyed and the second new one is bent already! I participated in the McGregor site last Thursday and it was a beautiful day. It was slow up there as well. People drive up and ask, "have any tomatoes"..."have any corn"...geeeeeez we have alot of educating to do on locally grown produce!

Ok here is my art blog;
http://rosarugosa.blogspot.com/
I'll catch up there too one day with photos of my artwork. But I do have a few projects and pictures posted there. So go take a peak if so inclined.

I have begun my studies via correspondence course for an herbalist certification. I finally quit talking about doing it and well, did it and got started. I'll keep you updated as I move along the lessons.

Please come visit us when the local group of the SCA I belong to, known as the Village of Wynandremer host a demo at the Arts In The Park in Brainerd. It is Sunday, July 6th from 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. in Gregory Park. We will have Arts & Science Projects and Demonstrations, be dressed in our garb and portraying our personas as well as some fighting. come dressed in your Renaissance garb as friends of the SCA or just come and learn about the SCA (Society for Creative Anachronism).
Here is our website:
www.wynandremer.com

Tomorrow morning is soap making time. I am so behind in my potions and alchemy it isn't even funny. I really need to make Goatmilk Honey & Oats, Fisherman's Hand Scrub, Geranium Blend just to name a few. I have a Fruit Slice Fragrance Oil I would like to try for the first time. it smells yummy.

Haying season is upon us and me and the boys will be raking hay tomorrow I'm sure. Jeff was our till after dark cutting in his cousin's field where we have hay stumpage rights. The grass is abundant this year and this is a blessing.

Well, enough musings for tonight. Blessings to everyone.
Terri aka Teralyn
and also known as
SCA Persona "Tanith of Cedar Haven"

Tuesday, April 29, 2008

Spring time on Cedarbrook

Mother Nature "Gaia" has found favor with us and we will not get dangerously flooded...sigh of relief. The water should crest tomorrow and then slowly return to normal. It will take a few weeks. Hopefully we will not received an overabundance of rain. The waterfowl here is spectacular. My son Remington has captured some amazing photography.
We shopped in Brainerd today. I picked up more seeds for the garden. The chicks are growing fast and going through almost 50# of feed a day, so that was purchased as well. These will be expensive birds to raise this year. I am thinking close to $5 per bird, versus the $3.50...it might be more if the feed costs still continue to rise.
What a beautiful day. There is still spots of snow here and there from our last snow which was two weekends ago. I believe we had almost 8 inches....ahhhhh at the end of April...amazing.
May Day is just around the corner. Beltane. Please visit Gaia's Wheel newsletter online. www.gaiaswheel.com
Blessings,
Terri